Ask HN: How can we fight the pesticide issue in my state
Our state is having an issue with increasing amounts of pesticides residues in vegetables bought from local markets. Most of the vegetables we use, come from the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu. Today there was a report in one of the local newspapers that said 'We have been eating vegetables that contain highly toxic chemicals like Profenofos and Methyl parathion for a long time'. Two days earlier there was another report that said how the process of testing for residue was broken, because the process only test for the presence of approved pesticides for a particular vegetable.
People who own some unused land are starting to grow vegetables on their own. But those who does not own land, or cannot afford to do farming on their own, are left helpless.
Can some one shed some light on regarding how to remove these chemicals from Vegetables? Is there some way to diffuse/denature these chemicals so as to render them less harmful? Can a test be designed to check for the presence and concentration of these chemicals in vegetables (It does not have to be conventional, for example, can we put the vegetables in a container with some water, and say, after a day or two, put some small ant or insect in it and observe if it can survive).
Any ideas, how ever far fetched/extreme, is welcome...